Woman Faces DWI Charge After Ford Bronco Strikes Tree on Merrick Road

Woman Faces DWI Charge After Ford Bronco Strikes Tree on Merrick Road. April 30, 2026.

Updated Apr 30, 2026
MINOR INCIDENT
Town
Merrick
Reported
Updated
Source
News Sources

Map showing incident location at 40.7800, -73.3000 Incident location, Long Island

What Happened

A 47-year-old woman is facing drunk driving charges after her Ford Bronco struck a tree on Merrick Road Wednesday night, according to Nassau County police. The single-vehicle crash occurred at 9:18 p.m. Wednesday when the woman’s vehicle left the roadway and collided with a tree in the right lane of Merrick Road in Merrick.

Nassau County police responded to the accident scene and found the Ford Bronco had sustained significant front-end damage from the tree collision, according to Patch reports. Police determined the driver was intoxicated at the scene of the crash and subsequently arrested her on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

The 47-year-old Long Island motorist was charged with misdemeanor DWI stemming from the Wednesday night incident, police told Patch Thursday morning. Nassau County police did not release the identity of the driver as of Thursday morning, saying only that she had been charged in connection with the tree strike crash.

Despite the force of the collision that damaged the front of the Ford Bronco, police reported no injuries resulted from the Wednesday night crash on Merrick Road. The lack of injuries likely prevented more serious charges beyond the misdemeanor DWI that the woman now faces in Nassau County court.

The crash required police response to clear the damaged vehicle from Merrick Road and conduct the DWI investigation at the scene. Police have not released additional details about what led to the vehicle leaving the roadway or the driver’s blood alcohol content at the time of the arrest.

Location & Road Context

The crash occurred on Merrick Road, one of Long Island’s major east-west arterial roads that runs through multiple Nassau County communities including Merrick, Bellmore, Freeport, and Wantagh. Merrick Road serves as a key commercial and residential thoroughfare, carrying significant daily traffic volumes through densely populated suburban areas.

The tree strike location in Merrick places the crash site in a residential and commercial area where Merrick Road is lined with businesses, shopping centers, and side streets leading to neighborhood developments. The roadway configuration in this area includes multiple lanes of traffic in each direction with numerous traffic signals and turning movements that require driver attention and sobriety.

Investigation & Legal Proceedings

The woman faces a misdemeanor DWI charge under New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, which carries potential penalties including license suspension, fines, and possible jail time for first-time offenders. Nassau County police have not indicated whether this represents a first offense for the 47-year-old driver or if she has prior DWI convictions that could elevate the charges.

Police have not released information about the driver’s arraignment date or bail status following her Wednesday night arrest. The DWI investigation likely included field sobriety testing and chemical testing to determine the driver’s blood alcohol content at the time of the crash, though those results have not been made public.

Broader Impact

This latest DWI incident adds to a concerning pattern of impaired driving crashes on Long Island roads, with Merrick experiencing multiple serious traffic incidents in recent months including fatal crashes and pedestrian strikes. The tree collision highlights how even single-vehicle DWI crashes can result in significant property damage and potential injuries, with the driver fortunate to escape unharmed from what could have been a more serious outcome given the front-end damage visible in crash scene photos.

Topics

MerrickMerrick trafficMerrick accidentDWI crashLong Island accident todayLong Island traffic todayLong IslandNY

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I'm in a car accident in Merrick?

Call 911 immediately if anyone is injured or if the vehicles can't be moved safely off the roadway. Stay at the scene — leaving the scene of an accident with injuries is a crime under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §600. Exchange license, registration, and insurance information with every other driver involved. Take photographs of every vehicle, the position of the vehicles before they're moved, all license plates, the road surface, traffic signs, and any visible injuries. Get the names and phone numbers of every witness — police often won't capture bystander witnesses on their own. Seek medical attention within 24 hours even if you feel fine; soft-tissue injuries and concussions can take a day or two to present, and a delayed medical visit weakens an injury claim. In Nassau County, NCPD responds outside of incorporated villages. In Suffolk County, SCPD covers the five western towns; East End towns have their own forces. New York State Police Troop L responds to accidents on state highways across both counties.

How long do I have to file a no-fault claim in New York?

Thirty days. New York Insurance Law §5102 requires you to file a Personal Injury Protection (PIP/no-fault) application with the insurer of the vehicle you were in (or, if you were a pedestrian or cyclist, with the insurer of the striking vehicle) within 30 days of the accident. Missing the 30-day deadline can void your no-fault benefits — that's up to $50,000 in medical bills and 80% of lost wages (capped at $2,000/month) per injured person. The form is the NF-2 application; your insurance carrier provides it on request. New York no-fault is a true PIP system: it pays regardless of who caused the crash.

How long do I have to sue after a Long Island car accident?

Three years from the date of the accident for personal injury claims under CPLR §214(5). Wrongful death claims have a two-year deadline under EPTL §5-4.1. If a government entity is involved (a county vehicle, a road defect on a state highway, a defective traffic signal, a county bus), you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days under General Municipal Law §50-e — that's a non-negotiable jurisdictional deadline, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely. Property-damage-only claims have the same three-year clock. The clock starts on the day of the accident, not the day you discover the full extent of an injury.

How do I get a copy of the police accident report?

If local police responded to the scene, the report is filed under an MV-104A form. In New York State, you can request a copy through the DMV at https://dmv.ny.gov/vehicle-safety/get-copy-accident-report (roughly $7 online, $10 by mail) once the responding agency has uploaded it to the state system, which usually takes 5-10 business days. NCPD and SCPD also have their own direct-request processes through the precinct that responded. If you weren't injured but the property damage exceeded $1,000, New York VTL §605 requires you (the driver) to file your own MV-104 report with the DMV within 10 days regardless of whether police responded.

How dangerous is This Road near Merrick?

Long Island Traffic tracks every reported incident on this road across both counties — see the road profile page for the multi-year accident count, severity distribution, and the specific intersections that show repeated incident clusters. Suffolk and Nassau county roads with chronic problems are reviewed by their respective DOTs on a multi-year cadence; persistent issues are sometimes addressed with new signal phasing, lane-narrowing treatments, or — in extreme cases — a Vision Zero engineering response. Daily incident updates flow into our live-events feed every fifteen minutes.

Questions about a specific incident? See our Know Your Rights guides for in-depth answers, or the contact page to get in touch.

Disclaimer: Incident information on this page is compiled from public sources including police reports, traffic agencies, and news outlets. It is provided for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current status of this incident. Do not rely on this information for legal, insurance, or emergency decisions. For emergencies, call 911.